By akademiotoelektronik, 30/08/2022

When artificial intelligence becomes a deity

L’ingénieur informatique américain Anthony Levandowski a fondé en 2015 «Way of the Future» (WOTF), une Eglise qui vénère l’intelligence artificielle. Une façon «d’amadouer» le super-réseau informatique qui devrait prochainement gouverner le monde. Une conviction qui suscite des controverses.

"This time you can speak to God, literally.And you will know he listens to you, "enthuses Anthony Levandowski.In an interview with the Californian magazine Wired, the child prodigy of Silicon Valley calls for the appearance of this "divinity" with which everyone can interact.Because the computer scientist, who is notably one of the "fathers" of the autonomous car, believes hard as iron that the "singularity" will be part of our daily life in the near future.This concept designates the moment when artificial intelligence (AI) will go beyond human intelligence and become "conscious of itself".She will then be able to find solutions to the main problems of the planet and will end up dominating humanity.

A way to "invoke demons"?

"What is going to be created will be a god," says Anthony Levandowski.While specifying that it is not "a deity that launches lightning or causes hurricanes, but a billion times more intelligent than the most intelligent human".A "beast" whose nervous system would be made up of the Internet, the sensitive organs by the millions of mobile phones connected in the world and the brain by data processing centers.She will hear everything, will see everything and will be everywhere at the same time."The only adequate word to describe this" thing "is" God "," said Uber's old framework.

An overpowered and omniscient "divinity" which should therefore be caressed in the direction of the pixel.This is the final vocation of the Wotf.Because the engineer does not recommend, unlike other great figures such as Elon Musk or Stephen Hawking, to "bride" the AA.These two summit in the scientific world have indeed repeatedly sounded the alarm concerning the dangers of advances in the field."Regarding artificial intelligence, we are invoking demons," said Elon Musk even.

But Anthony Levandowski believes that this super AI will be rather benevolent towards man, if the latter knows how to do it with her."The chain will be useless, because it will be stronger than all the chains that we could put to her," said the engineer in Wired."If you are afraid that a child is a little cracked and doing nonsense, you are not going to lock him.You will put him in contact with other children so that he can play with them, you will encourage him and you will try to put it back in the right path.It will not necessarily work, but if you are aggressive towards him, I do not think he will be friendly when the balance of power has changed in his favor ".Anthony Levandowski judges that this super AI will favor individuals who participated in his takeover.According to him, she should treat humans in the same way as we treat animals."Do you want to be a pet or livestock?" He questions.

A "high priest" in turmoil

In order to "facilitate the inevitable ascent of the divinity-machine, both culturally and technically", the WOTF is organizing workshops and educational programs for the moment to help laymen to become followers.But the Church also has a sacred book, called "Le Manuel".Anthony Levandowski plans to set up a liturgy and public veneration ceremonies.A place of worship is currently wanted.

It was within a media and legal storm that Anthony Levandowski created his new religion.The 38 -year -old computer prodigy is currently under the spotlight for a completely different subject.He has appeared since February 5, 2018 before a Californian court for theft of industrial secrets.He is accused by the American firm Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, of having taken with it essential information on the development of autonomous cars, when it was recruited by the company Uber.Waymo therefore claims to Uber, that she accuses of having trained everything, damages up to 2.6 billion dollars.In the meantime, Uber thanked his former executive.Some are wondering to what extent it is not a stratagem by Anthony Levandowski to divert attention or pass for an "illuminated" in order to reduce his responsibility before the courtyard.

Faith in science

The development of WOTF is currently unknown.The website has only one page, which describes the principles of the new cult.The text notably highlights that the followers "believe in science", and that there is no "supernatural power".The tone is however more modest than that of Anthony Levandowski in his interviews.The text concludes in particular that the "singularity" will not occur next week.So go back to work, create incredible things, and do not count on the machines to do everything for you… ”(Cath.CH/RZ)

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An artificial god always very human

The creation of the "Way of the Future" Church has been generally perceived in the media as an anecdotal eccentricity.But she also raised a number of questions and worries.

Marc Atallah, director of the house elsewhere, in Yverdon, pointed out in the chronicle of Rtsreligion of October 3, 2017 that a god is by definition uncreated.If man creates divinity, she becomes a creature and it is the man who takes himself for God.Marc Atallah considers that this approach is revealing of the human condition.Despite the progress of science, humans cannot get rid of their need for God.

Human VS computer

The Dutch digital artist and author Marloes de Valk qualified the creation of the WOTF "worrying".At a conference at the Transmediale Film Festival in February 2017 in Berlin, she notably warned the anthropomorphization of machines and computers whose public opinion is a victim.When it comes to making a false table of Rembrandt, a false piece of the Beatles or winning a game of chess against a great master, computers can match very close or even surpass human skills.Thus, the reports of the press often give the impression that these computer exploits are comparable to human skills.

The divine hammer?

The former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Rodney Brooks explains this phenomenon under the term "generalization": in his September 2017 essay entitled The 7 fatal sins of prediction in matters of artificial intelligence (The Seven Deadly Sinsof Predicting the Future of AI), the Australian researcher explains: "People hear that such or such robot or artificial intelligence program have accomplished such or such task.They then take the generalization of this performance for a general competence that could be expected of a human being performing this same task.Then they apply this generalization to the robot or the program in question.But you have to understand that at present, robots and AI programs are incredibly limited as to what they can accomplish ".

So, even if computers can do something "a billion times" better, it does not make them all-powerful like gods.The fact that a hammer is much more suitable to drive a nail into a board than a human thumb does not make this object a superhuman entity.

Computers' domination is not for tomorrow

The belief in an appearance in the future close to the ‘singularity’ is also beaten in breach by many specialists in the field.Rodney Brooks disputes the idea of an exponential development of AI.While other experts, such as the visionary and transhumanist Ray Kurzweil think that the "transition" is at hand.Brooks points out that major advances in the field are isolated "events" and there is no model that would indicate how often these developments can occur.

Marloes de Valk still highlights other problems than the dedication of artificial intelligence could cause.It mentions in particular a risk of "dehumanization" of the human person, due to the overvaluation of technology and the confusion between human and computer functioning.

But the Dutch artist above all points to a risk of "de -release" of humanity, if she expects that an artificial intelligence will come and settle all her troubles."This mythology blinds us in the face of the problems in which we are and on the fact that we are not similar to computers.It can make us forget that we are organizations completely dependent on our ecosystem ”.Rz

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